The Set-Up

Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem The Set-Up, the inspiration for Robert Wise's celebrated 1949 film noir, follows Pansy, a gifted Black prizefighter navigating the brutal American boxing underworld. Told in propulsive, syncopated rhyming couplets, this hard-boiled Jazz Age tragedy captures the world of prizefighting in 1920s New York.

This Korero Press edition reproduces March's original 1928 text and pairs it with specially commissioned artwork by Erik Kriek, the award-winning Dutch comic artist. A visually striking illustrated classic for readers of narrative poetry, boxing writing, film noir and Jazz Age culture.
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